Hemp? That’s rope, isn’t it? Guess again: it’s one of the hottest food trends of 2007 – a surprise success for a healthy nosh that’s thousands of years old. Yep, we’re talking about hemp that comes from the same plant species as marijuana (i.e., Cannabis). But isn’t it illegal? It is if you smoke it. But today, not only can you wear it, you can eat it, too. Read on to learn more about this high-quality protein. Plus: Are you a health food nut?

The kind of hemp you eat comes from a special variety of this plant that contains only trace amounts of the chemical (tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC) that causes marijuana’s intoxicating effects. So you don’t have to worry about it giving you a “high” any more than a poppy seed muffin will (which contain trace amounts of opiates).

More than 6,000 years ago, the Chinese cultivated hemp from a plant that grew wild throughout Asia. Even before Asians used soy foods, they prized hemp for its high-quality nutrition. Eventually the seed was cultivated in Europe and India. Indians called it “bhang,” using its dried leaves as a stimulant and medicine for colds, fevers, dysentery, and as part of religious ceremonies. Modern day nutritionists know the plant has high-quality protein and essential amino acids, along with a healthy blend of other nutrients, like iron, magnesium and manganese.

A Hefty Dose of NutritionImagine a sesame seed and you’ll have a pretty close match to the hemp seed. However, it tastes more like sunflower seeds or pine nuts than it does sesame seeds. Like other seeds, hemp has a nutty flavor and a hefty dose of essential fatty acids and protein.

One tablespoon of hemp offers about three grams of protein, four grams of fat (primarily omega-6 and some omega-3), almost one gram of fiber, and no cholesterol. Hemp also offers a whopping array of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin E, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, and calcium. All this for a mere 56 calories – comparable to one cup of cantaloupe.

Hemp’s treasure of essential fatty acids (EFAs) – with a beneficial balance of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids – is particularly important for Americans who tend to run low on EFAs. According to more than five decades of scientific research, insufficient essential fatty acids in general may raise the risk of heart disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and skin conditions (like eczema and psoriasis). Operating with insufficient levels of these two fats also affects brain and immune functions, as well as infant development.

Omega-3s and omega-6s work together to keep us healthy, particularly our brains. Omega-3s help reduce inflammation and omega-6s increase it, a key immune system response. However, when the two fats are not in balance, and there are more omega-6s than omega-3s, we are more apt to develop diseases related to inflammation such as heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis. The majority of Americans get 11 to 30 times more omega-6s than omega-3s. Why? Mostly because they eat too many baked goods made with refined vegetable oils high in omega-6s.

In the KitchenBefore hemp foods arrive on the shelves, the seeds have been shelled and cleaned. In supermarkets or health-food markets, hemp is sold as a shelled seed, oil, or flour. And you may even discover an assortment of hemp-filled prepared foods, such as bread, salad dressings, spreads, energy bars, shakes, chips, meatless burgers, and cookies.

If you have ever used flaxseed, using hempseed will be an easy addition to your diet. You can add both to yogurts, smoothies, juices, salads, and batter mixes. You can also roast hemp seeds, or include them in spices mix that you can sprinkle on your food instead of salt. Or you can even use it as a breading for meats or vegetables. For a stir-fry, instead of canola oil, try a little hemp oil.

If you have leftover hemp products, store them in the refrigerator: they’re sensitive to heat and light. Refrigerated, hemp will keep for months. But, once it’s lost its nutty taste, throw it out. If you’re still stumped about how to use it, you can even find hemp cookbooks such as The Hemp Nut Cookbook: Ancient Food for a New Millennium (Book Publishing, 2005). And for those of you interested in greening up your plate, hemp – often certified as organic – is an environmentally friendly crop that needs no herbicides or pesticides to grow, nor is it genetically modified.

Is Your Lunch Unlawful?Three years ago, the Hemp Industries Association, which represents hemp companies in North America, won a court battle against the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) after they tried to ban the sale of hemp foods in the United States. The association demonstrated that hemp foods contain only insignificant amounts of THC. Shortly afterward, hemp products began to appear on store shelves. However, no matter how much you like hemp food products, growing hemp plants yourself is still illegal.

But don’t worry: A hemp-filled energy bar or smoothie won’t doom you to fail a random workplace drug test. Approximately 25 North American hemp manufacturers have promised through a TestPledge program not to allow their hemp nut and hemp oil products to exceed acceptable levels of THC.

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